Over the years, textile and apparel manufacturers have sought new fabric constructions, materials of construction, and conditioning or finishing techniques for improving the moisture absorbency or moisture control properties of apparel. Particularly with respect to outerwear, activewear, sportswear, and uniform garments, end users are most interested in the comfort and appearance of the apparel. Two of the most important factors related to comfort are moisture absorbency and hand, or softness.
Fabric constructions for sweat-absorbent textile fabrics that are suitable for outerwear and sportswear are well known in the art. One such construction comprises a multi-layer construction, which includes a water absorbent layer having high moisture absorbency and a water-permeable layer having high moisture permeability, but a lower moisture absorbency. Such a construction advantageously wicks moisture from one layer to another. Creating these multi-layer constructions, however, requires that the various layers be stitched or bonded together in a separate step. Such a multi-layer construction is not only more bulky, which is less desirable from a wearer's point of view, but it is also more expensive to construct.
Another known fabric construction for optimizing moisture management properties facilitates the movement of moisture from the inner layer of the fabric having larger voids to the outer layer of the fabric having smaller voids. The disadvantage of such a construction, however, is that additional conditioning or finishing steps result in a relatively more expensive finished fabric.
Another conventional sportswear construction includes a textile fabric having a cotton inner lining, which is hyrdrophilic. Thus, when the cotton comes in contact with the body of the wearer, it exhibits a high moisture absorbency. A disadvantage of cotton, however, is that it quickly becomes saturated and loses its shape. This has caused manufacturers to turn to polyester as a substitute for cotton. Conventional yarns of polyester, however, are generally hydrophobic and thus are not particularly suitable for the removal of moisture away from the wearer's skin.